Over time, the roles of both men and women have changed slightly, but in a lot of cases they still remain the same. In the Odyssey one can see there are unquestionably different expectations for men versus women during this time period. To this day, there is little information on Homer himself. Even though there is not much information about the author himself, it is known that “The epic poem Odyssey focuses on the Greek character Odysseus and his ten year journey from Troy to Ithaca after the fall of Troy (Trojan war).”("Odyssey by Ancient Greek Poet Homer.") This story takes place directly after the Trojan War. The society is still recovering from the war and tragedy. Although gender expectations are true in the early years that the Odyssey …show more content…
Homer explains, “Many cities did he visit, and many were the nations with whose manners and customs he was acquainted; moreover he suffered much by sea while trying to save his own life and bring his men safely home” (Puchner). This truly shows how men were visualized during this time period. The quote above explains the difficulty behind fighting in the Trojan War. Power and authority are two main expectations seen within the Odyssey. Women were not fighting for their lives in combat; this was the men’s responsibility. The men were warriors once they had proven themselves in war. Once proven oneself, these men become heroes. Warfare and fighting brought great control to men, especially over women in the Odyssey. To this day, this is something that can be seen in many societies, but not so much in our own …show more content…
Eagly and Karua stated “Leadership has been predominantly a male prerogative in corporate, political, military, and other sectors of society. Although women have gained increased access to supervisory and middle management positions, they remain quite rare as elite leaders and top executives”(Eagly and Karau). To this day, many people look at women as incompetent of handling the higher leveled jobs. Women are seen by multiple generations as the caretakers of the children and the home while the men support the house by partaking in the workforce. Countless people believe women can participate in specific jobs such as nursing and care taking. They do not believe women should contribute in jobs such as government positions where the woman may have a higher power than the man. As a society, there are certain jobs and tasks that specifically fit men and specific ones that fit women to this day, just like during the time of the